Ling An suddenly felt that Tide Sis really was a bit of a scamp.
Left at a loss for words, Changli sat obediently in the boat.
With both hands resting on her knees and her legs together, she looked composed and serene.
"What exactly is Mt. Firmament? Why is it so mysterious?" Ling An steered the conversation back on track.
"You sensed it?" Changli asked in surprise.
"Of course," Ling An replied.
"All of Mt. Firmament is trapped within a time-flow barrier."
"A time-flow barrier?"
"Indeed. Have either of you heard this story?"
Ling An and Tide Sis looked at Changli, quietly waiting for her to continue.
"Long ago, a woodcutter went up a mountain to gather firewood and came across two people playing chess. Intrigued, he stood beside them to watch. Only when the sun set did he return home..."
"Then he found that everything had changed, and even his grandson had grown old?" Ling An supplied.
Changli nodded approvingly. "Exactly. Mt. Firmament is that sort of place. It isn't quite like the woodcutter's story, where half a day in the mountains meant a hundred years outside, but the Time Stream here differs greatly from that of the outside world."
"So there is a price to entering and leaving Mt. Firmament."
"Then what is that price, Changli?" Ling An looked at her.
"In the past, one day on Mt. Firmament equaled ten days outside. But now the Time Stream on the mountain is in turmoil, making the situation far more complicated than before. We will only know once we enter."
"What, are you afraid?" Changli looked at Ling An and said calmly, "You should know that Mt. Firmament's Time Stream comes from the Sentinel's temporal power. Time rushing forward, standing still, or even turning back is nothing more than